As I began to think about whether or not to proceed with the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist this year when Tim moved to showcasing a tag and techniques each month I didn't quite know what to do or how to pay homage to what was the beginning of this series here in the CLASSroom. Each year it would get a tad manic as I would try to pull off creating a tag inspired by Tim's tags, but I wanted something special for all those of you who have been such loyal customers and supporters over the years. It has been a welcome change to not have the level of insanity that has ensued over the last few years and more importantly these lovely ladies have taken my breath away with their stunning tags! To have Paula here representing Tim and his product line is something I appreciate more than she can know.
Paula Cheney inspires me! The precision and care she takes when she creates her projects simply blows me away! You must visit the blog she shares with fellow crafter and friend Debbie. Visit One Lucky Day to see one of the most beautiful handcrafted Artful Christmas Villages I have laid eyes on this season. Elegant, exquisite, extraordinary - those are just a few of the words I can come up with that will hopefully make you click that link! I don't know anyone who can showcase the Tim Holtz products better than Paula and Debbie.
Thank you so much for sharing your friendship with me Paula and also for the inspired tag you created for us here in the CLASSroom! -Ellen
Apply Frayed Burlap and Spun Sugar Distress Stains next to each other on Non-stick Craft Sheet by pressing down on craft sheet and apply pressure to the sides of the bottle.
Mist with water from a Mini Mister.
Lay a #8 manilla tag in the Distress Stain to pick up stain. Dry with Heat Tool then repeat steps until satisfied with the look of the tag.
Emboss tag with Sizzix Alterations texture fade - Textured Poinsettia. To cover the entire #8 tag with texture you must imprint 1/2 of the tag at a time. Place tag into the texture fade and run through Vagabond machine.
Turn tag around and run the other half through the machine. Hard to tell where the line is, right?
Use a small paint brush to mix a bit of water and Perfect Pearls - Heirloom Gold on a non stick craft sheet until you have a smooth liquid. If paint is too thin just add a bit more of the Perfect Pearls Powder.
Use a small brush to paint a few of the poinsettias. Note: the center of the tag will be covered so concentrate on the top and bottom areas.
Set aside tag to work on center wreath.
Cut a piece of Grungepaper 6 x 6”. Use a collage glue stick to adhere a piece of book paper to the Grungepaper.
Use Holiday Wreath die to cut wreath shape from grungepaper.
Use an ink blending tool and vintage photo distress ink to age the edges of the wreath and well as the small leaves that pop up. set aside.
Cut two pieces of manilla cardstock 2 1/2 x 12”.
Use one to cut the Festive Greenery decorative strip.
From the Festive Greenery die cuts, you will need 4 leaves and a pine branch (save other strip and pieces for later). Use Distress Stain- Tarnished Brass to paint all 5 pieces (shake before use).
Note: there is one large leaf that points left...do not flip over to match the others.
Once all pieces are painted, use Emboss-it pad to coat the entire surface of branch.
Place on a sheet of paper. Pour Sticky Embossing Powder over branch.
Gently tap off excess powder, place branch on non-stick craft mat. Slide leftover power back into jar.
Melt powder using your Heat Tool...as you can see the embossing powder turns clear and sticky. So much easier to see the reaction when the manila paper is painted gold.
Immediately cover melted powder with Stickles Dry Fine Glitter - platinum.
When it is cooled, gently tap off excess glitter. I like to go over with the Heat Tool again for about 30 seconds. I find that it seems to cement the glitter into the sticky surface.
Repeat steps with all 4 leaves.
NOTE: I love this method of adding glitter to a tiny surface area. I have found that as long as you have good coverage from the embossing pad to begin with, the glitter will adhere easily the sticky surface. I also know the Sticky Embossing Powder holds the glitter better than plain white glue with a lot less mess.
Add glittered leaves to wreath with a bit of Glossy Accents.
NOTE: there are no glittered leaves under the top right and bottom right wreath leaves. The top with be covered with a ribbon and the bottom is not necessary.
Assembling the tag:
Cut a piece of Mirrored (2 x 2”). Peel off backing to adhere to tag. Peel off protective top coating to reveal the mirrored surface. I purposely took this shot with the camera showing so you can see that it is really like a mirror (you can also die cut this stuff!).
Adhere 3-d Pop-it shapes under wreath. Add wreath to tag over Mirrored surface.
Clip the glittered pine branch in half and ink two other elements from the Festive Greenery decorative strip.
Layer the elements above and below the wreath with a bit of Glossy Accents.
Create a bow using Crinkle Ribbon and Distress stains Spun Sugar and a hint of Frayed Burlap.
Begin by spritzing Crinkle Ribbon with a Mini Mister to keep in place on the non-stick craft sheet. Pounce Spun Sugar onto ribbon (keep turning ribbon over to get all sides). Using the same method, add Frayed Burlap (just a bit) to give the ribbon an aged appearance. Spritz with water again, then dry with a Heat Tool. Once dry, create bow (the tails are folded back and glued underneath).
Add bow to wreath a little to the right of center.
Hold on...just a few more steps!
Cut the last 2 1/2” x 12 manilla paper in half (or rip it...it doesn’t matter). Use your Vagabond machine to cut out two “joy to the world” sayings from the stacked words: christmas decorative strip.
You need two because you are going to cut the words apart. The bottom of the ‘y’ and the top of the ‘e’ are connected so from one you will cut the word “Joy” and from the other you will cut, “to the world”. Discard leftover pieces.
Be sure to add the dot at the top of the J with a piece of 1/8” Wonder Tape.
Lightly ink the edges of the words with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Add Crackle Accents to the word Joy and set aside to dry. Once dry, rub with Distress Ink to bring out crackle finish.
Cut very small pieces of Pop-it Shapes and add to the back of the word Joy. Add to the center of wreath.
Add “to the world” to the bottom right corner.
And it just wouldn’t be me without a bit of vintage...I added a few pearls I cut from an vintage necklace
And a bit of hand dyed cheese cloth.
Paper String tied at the top completes the tag.
Please join us in thanking Paula for this exquisite beauty! Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store
www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Thank you for joining us here again today and don't forget to share the tags you create after being inspired by our 12 Tags series and link them in the post above!
